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The man on the right only has two piercings; a small stud on his nose, and another in his ear.
They both take a step closer towards me, matching smirks on their identical faces, causing my blood to run cold. The wicked curves of their lips doesnothingto keep me calm. My breathing becomes faster as my chest tightens, and the sound of my beating heart in my ears drowns out everything else.
I open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. My throat is too raw, too dry, and the words die before I can even form them.
“Good morning, beauty.” The one with the lip ring saysagain.He steps closer to me, crouching low so he can meet my eyes, his cold eyes scanning all over my face. “We were wondering how much longer it would be before you finally woke up again.”
I drag my eyes away from him to look over at the other man.
He watches me silently, his gaze unrelenting as the corners of his lips twitch.
My lungs feel tight as my chest heaves, struggling to draw in air.
I can’t breathe.
“Easy, easy.” The man crouching in front me says, his hand reaching out to grip my chin. His touch is firm as he tilts my head to the side slightly, forcing me to meet his cold eyes. “Don’t pass out on us now, beauty. That would ruin all the fun.”
I feel tears blurring my vision as I try to pull away from him. His hold on me only tightens as he brushes his thumb lightly against my jaw. I swallow a couple of times, noticing how quickly his eyes drop down to my throat, watching me, before I’m able to open my mouth.
“W-Who are you both?”
I manage to whisper.
Lifting his eyes back to mine, he smirks.
“You’ll find out soon enough, beauty.”
I flinch at his words, flinch as he calls me that—beauty—as I try to push up onto my bottom.
My head spins as I move, and I hear them both take a sharp breath in.
Finally, I’m sitting upright, my back pressed to the wall.
The second man steps forward, and now, both brothers are completely invading my space. Under their watchful eyes, I feel myself shrinking. My thoughts race back to my father and my brother, my stomach sinking as I think of Tamana.
I hope she’s safe, and I hope she’s able to get to my family if she hasn’t already.
I hope my father and my brother are on their way to save me now.
My body begins to tremble uncontrollably, a mixture of both fear and exhaustion, as the other man crouches down too. Both pairs of icy blue eyes study me, scanning every inch of me as they strip me bare with only their gazes.
I become paralysed under their stares.
“How are you feeling?”
The man who has just moved asks me, his voice low and deep, each word measured and deliberate as he speaks to me.
I take a few deep breaths in, forcing my throat to work, but the air in this room has become too thick, and I find myself choking on the sob that’s lodged in my chest. My heart beats violently against my ribs, and my blood rushes through my veins, each beat of my heart slamming into every part of my body.
The man in front of me—not the one who spoke just a second ago—tilts his head slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
“What’s happened? Cat got your tongue, beauty?”
Beauty.
I’ve lost count of how many times he’s called me that now.
Swallowing hard, I try to shake off the panic that’s threatening to drown me.